She has her sights set on competing at a third Olympics in 2020 and Australian Opals star Rachel Jarry says the University of Canberra Capitals is the club to kick-start her journey to Tokyo.
Jarry was today unveiled as the UC Capitals’ first signing for the 2017/18 WNBL season.

FOX Sports and Basketball Australia have entered a three-year partnership that will put the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) back on national television.
The deal will come to fruition in time for the 2017-18 season, and will see Fox Sports broadcast a minimum of one game per week, as well as every Finals game, through to the 2019-20 season.
The new-look competition will run over 16 weeks, from October to January, which includes the best-of-three semi-finals and Grand Final series.

_________________“Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud.”
― Maya Angelou
SO ...I lost a bet with Rock about how many wins Chicago would get this year. My punishment - T. Young as my avatar. Well it could be worse!

Just the other day she said she was into the idea of returning down under, but I'm not so sure it would be for Perth. If I was our GM I'd be hesitant after our recent playoff series, plus I get the feeling that her adventurous off-court side would probably like to tackle the east coast next. I hope she returns, as I think it was good for her game to play down here. She improved noticeably across just one season.

ArtBest23 wrote:

Why do some teams like Dandenong and Bendigo have zero or close to zero players signed? Does everyone play on one season contracts?

It's a good question, and true for most teams. Yes, most contracts are single-season, but it is strange to me as well that even in those cases re-signings aren't occurring quickly once a season is over - especially for the bench players, whose salaries are fairly minimal.

Historically I know that finances have been at the core of it. Most teams rely heavily on corporate sponsorship to fund their playing rosters, and I'm guessing that the weeks/months following a season are typically spent chasing sponsors for the next season, and only once that is somewhat settled can teams know what they can spend. (This is a league that has yet to implement a salary cap because it usually operates at the other end of the wealth scale.)
I could imagine that with this TV deal known to be in the works, clubs may have been extra-slow this season to get players signed because being on TV (even if only pay tv) adds value for sponsors, so the clubs now have some extra leverage to negotiate better deals. Even the very modest proposed new minimum wage of $7,500 per player would have an impact in some teams' budgets as well.

Liz Cambage contemplated retirement after the Rio Olympics
...
"I think my love for the sport definitely disappeared a couple of years ago," Cambage said. "I know having a year off is what I needed to try and find that love again. Working with girls that just have a group mentality and share the same goals together (was attractive)."
...
She’ll head over to the States to visit WNBA side Dallas Wings soon, the club that has her rights and Aussie AFLW revelation Erin Phillips, and she does want to play in America again.
"I think I should give it another crack," she said.
"Tulsa was a bit rough … it wasn’t the best of times but I would like to play in the WNBA again."

_________________"Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson were and are the dynamic duo. They're the one-two punch. They're all the clich�s possible to describe people that perfectly complement each other, who make each other better and also bring out the best in the team." �Karen Bryant

Okay, so, without wishing to turn this into a political or sociological debate, I've felt for several years that of the Americans that are signed to play in Australia, a significantly greater proportion than you'd expect by chance are white. Is race enough of an issue in Australia that teams would specifically target white imports? Or is it something to do with the type of player? Or is there some other reason? Or am I crazy?

None of which is intended as a criticism of Wiese, by the way. She's already shown enough in the opening weeks of the WNBA season to suggest that she'll probably be one of the better players in the WNBL.

Okay, so, without wishing to turn this into a political or sociological debate, I've felt for several years that of the Americans that are signed to play in Australia, a significantly greater proportion than you'd expect by chance are white. Is race enough of an issue in Australia that teams would specifically target white imports? Or is it something to do with the type of player? Or is there some other reason? Or am I crazy?

None of which is intended as a criticism of Wiese, by the way. She's already shown enough in the opening weeks of the WNBA season to suggest that she'll probably be one of the better players in the WNBL.

Interesting question. I've never really picked up on that pattern before, but now that you mention it the breakdown of WNBL imports probably isn't in the same proportion as the breakdown of American players overall (not that I know what that is either).

1. Looking at the level of the players that come here, it's typically players around fringe WNBA level. Either WNBA bench players or draft picks who didn't stick. I would guess that there is a higher proportion of white players in that demographic. When in doubt, WNBA teams seem to like opting for the white player. So I think the result of that is a disproportionate number of white players falling into the WNBL's target demographic - players with WNBA on their resume who are also affordable.

2. I wonder whether it is more a product of which players the European teams are targeting, rather than which players the aussie teams are targeting. We don't have a rich league down here, and top dollar tends to get reserved for known performers, which means the best aussies. When it comes to Americans, we get our pick of the leftovers that the Europeans aren't interested in. Exceptions are rare - such as when Dandenong were cashed-up and signed Cappie Pondexter (back when she was still considered a star player, albeit coming off an injury) and Monica Wright. My point is, I think it's fair to say that there's a perception in basketball that the best players are black, so if Europe is signing a high proportion of black players then the remaining pool is whiter.

Imports in the NBL (aussie men's league) are almost all AA, so I don't see why the WNBL teams would target their players so differently if it was entirely up to them.
But there's definitely a big difference in colour between NBL and WNBL imports, you're right about that.
I also think that playing in the WNBL is considered almost like a working holiday compared to Europe. It's the summer down here, games are only on the weekends (up until now), so it leaves a lot of free time for players. Is that something that might be more attractive to white players? I don't see why, but maybe?

(btw in the case of Wiese, she is good friends with Ruth Hamblin, and my understanding is that the original plan was for Wiese to play alongside Hamblin in Adelaide this coming season, but that Adelaide were unable to get the paperwork done in time to open up the extra import slot needed. If you follow Ruth on social media you'll know how much she enjoyed her summer here, so I'm guessing she was influential in getting Sydney to sign down under, as I'm guessing she could earn more in Europe if it was just down to money)

Okay, so, without wishing to turn this into a political or sociological debate, I've felt for several years that of the Americans that are signed to play in Australia, a significantly greater proportion than you'd expect by chance are white. Is race enough of an issue in Australia that teams would specifically target white imports? Or is it something to do with the type of player? Or is there some other reason? Or am I crazy?

None of which is intended as a criticism of Wiese, by the way. She's already shown enough in the opening weeks of the WNBA season to suggest that she'll probably be one of the better players in the WNBL.

Interesting question. I've never really picked up on that pattern before, but now that you mention it the breakdown of WNBL imports probably isn't in the same proportion as the breakdown of American players overall (not that I know what that is either).

1. Looking at the level of the players that come here, it's typically players around fringe WNBA level. Either WNBA bench players or draft picks who didn't stick. I would guess that there is a higher proportion of white players in that demographic. When in doubt, WNBA teams seem to like opting for the white player. So I think the result of that is a disproportionate number of white players falling into the WNBL's target demographic - players with WNBA on their resume who are also affordable.

2. I wonder whether it is more a product of which players the European teams are targeting, rather than which players the aussie teams are targeting. We don't have a rich league down here, and top dollar tends to get reserved for known performers, which means the best aussies. When it comes to Americans, we get our pick of the leftovers that the Europeans aren't interested in. Exceptions are rare - such as when Dandenong were cashed-up and signed Cappie Pondexter (back when she was still considered a star player, albeit coming off an injury) and Monica Wright. My point is, I think it's fair to say that there's a perception in basketball that the best players are black, so if Europe is signing a high proportion of black players then the remaining pool is whiter.

Imports in the NBL (aussie men's league) are almost all AA, so I don't see why the WNBL teams would target their players so differently if it was entirely up to them.
But there's definitely a big difference in colour between NBL and WNBL imports, you're right about that.
I also think that playing in the WNBL is considered almost like a working holiday compared to Europe. It's the summer down here, games are only on the weekends (up until now), so it leaves a lot of free time for players. Is that something that might be more attractive to white players? I don't see why, but maybe?

(btw in the case of Wiese, she is good friends with Ruth Hamblin, and my understanding is that the original plan was for Wiese to play alongside Hamblin in Adelaide this coming season, but that Adelaide were unable to get the paperwork done in time to open up the extra import slot needed. If you follow Ruth on social media you'll know how much she enjoyed her summer here, so I'm guessing she was influential in getting Sydney to sign down under, as I'm guessing she could earn more in Europe if it was just down to money)

Pay has to be an issue besides the fact that English is the primary language, right? You really have to want to go to Australia to choose it over what would presumably be more lucrative offers. NBL imports makes less than mid-tier guys in Europe, but still make a solid amount and are paid more reliably than a lot of leagues in Europe. WNBL players basically have to play in another league for the rest of the year to earn even decent money, although both leagues now seem to have more players double and triple dipping.

I am not sure Luuuc or I would be able to come close to compiling a list of Americans who permanently moved to Australia, but there are both white and black ones so its not like black players that go there universally hate it and there are obviously fairly famous examples of black male players who relocated permanently (and their famous sons like Dante Exum and Ben Simmons). Off the top of my head, Kisha Lee and Janelle Adams are black while Natalie Novosel, Kayla Standish (who is with Clint Steindl in a WCC rivalry marriage), and Sami Whitcomb are white.

Thanks for the considered answers, Luuuc and awhom111. I know whenever race gets into the conversation things can get difficult, but it'd just felt like an odd pattern to me so I thought I'd ask.

ClayK, it obviously varies wildly in Europe, depending on who you are and where you're playing. Taurasi, Griner etc are going to be on a hell of a lot more for UMMC than Sheila B. Waived in the Slovak second division. We have seen a few actual salary numbers over the years when courts have made rulings on contract grievances when players didn't get paid. From memory, Renee Montgomery was on something around 200-300k a few years back when she had one of those. So you're probably not far off for a decent WNBA player.

I would expect Australia to be a popular destination for WNBA players if the money was competitive. Warm summer weather and English speaking natives seems more enticing than winter in Siberia.

Absolutely, and it's a shorter season as well (so you either get more time off, or you can pick up a secondary contract somewhere else later on). But based on the players they do attract, I really don't think the money is that competitive with the better Euro leagues.

Over half the rosters for most European teams will be made up of players from that country, many of whom won't be paid much either. Some of the younger ones will intentionally be paid nothing, so that they remain eligible for NCAA scholarships (Savannah Wilkinson was one of the better players in the UK league this year, and was presumably unpaid as she's heading to Florida State in a couple of months).

According to the commentator in today's EuroBasket Women game, Laia Palau's been practicing her "g'day mate" . She's so much fun. You guys are gonna love her flair, even if her occasionally dubious shooting might make her less of a scorer than you usually expect from an import.

I'm pretty sure she's said she's retiring from the national team after this tournament, but I'm still hoping she (and Dumerc) hang around for the World Cup next year.

Yeah I'm really looking forward to having her in the league. The Rangers have already stated that she's there to be a leader and mentor, not a scorer, so there shouldn't be any unrealistic expectations there.
Between the influx of talent and the new TV deal it's shaping up to be a fun season
(for most teams at least ... it'd be nice if Perth would actually sign some players!)